Thanksgiving Holiday Air Traffic May Be Delayed by Winds, Wintry Weather

By Brian K. Sullivan -
Nov 23, 2010

High winds and wintry weather may
delay air traffic in the U.S. Northeast, the upper Great Plains
and the Pacific Northwest during the Thanksgiving holiday, one
of the busiest periods of the year for travel.

Winds with gusts of about 40 miles (64 kilometers) per hour
are expected in New York and of about 50 mph in Boston,
according to the National Weather Service. Snow, ice and
freezing rain are expected from Minnesota to California, Oregon
and Washington, according to the weather service.

“I am sure there will be airline delays tomorrow,” said
Paul Walker, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. in State
College, Pennsylvania. “There will be delays from some weather
problems.”

On average, 90 percent of aircraft seats are filled on the
busiest days, which include Thanksgiving, which is always on a
Thursday, and the following Sunday and Monday, according to the
Washington-based Air Transport Association, which represents the
largest U.S. airlines.

Tomorrow will also be Amtrak’s busiest day with an
estimated 127,000 people riding the railroad, a 70 percent
increase over a normal Wednesday, according to Cliff Cole, an
Amtrak spokesman.

Last year, Amtrak carried 686,000 passengers during the
holiday week, setting a Thanksgiving ridership record, according
to railroad statistics.

Freezing rain and sleet is forecast for Minneapolis
tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service in
Chanhassen, Minnesota. Snow is forecast to fall tomorrow night.

Midwest Flights

Walker said that storm is going to cause problems for
flights through Minneapolis and North and South Dakota tomorrow.
In addition, cold air will mean planes in the Pacific Northwest
will probably have to be de-iced before flying, he said. That
will probably cause delays, he said.

Driving along Interstates 90 and 94 through Minnesota and
North and South Dakota may also be difficult, Walker said.

In Boston, winds as intense as 28 mph are forecast for
tomorrow with gust of as much as 44 mph, according to the
National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts. A gale
warning, meaning winds of 40 mph are possible, has been issued
for coastal areas of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire
and Maine. Gusts as intense as 50 mph are possible.

Boston’s Logan International Airport, the largest in the
six-state New England region, is located at the seacoast along
the edge of the city’s harbor.

New York Rain

On Thanksgiving, light rain may fall across New York
starting in late in the morning to mid-afternoon, with the
possibility of some light snow mixed in, said Matt Scalora, a
weather service meteorologist in Upton, New York. The
precipitation will change over to all rain as the day wears on
and will be light to moderate, he said.

There is a chance the rain will miss Macy’s Thanksgiving
Day Parade altogether, Scalora said. The parade starts at 9 a.m.
on 77th Street and Central Park West.

“If the rain holds off a couple of hours, it will stay dry
for the parade Thursday morning,” Scalora said.

The best U.S. destinations this week will be in North and
South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, Walker said. Sunny skies
and warm temperatures are in the forecast there, he said.